Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has described N’Golo Kante as “one of the best players” he has ever coached, while emphasising the “amazing” abilities of the France international in the middle of the park.
The current Inter boss insisted he has only “wonderful memories” of his time at Chelsea, despite his acrimonious departure in 2018 that came after a difficult second season in England.
Meanwhile, Kante was one of the first deals Conte made at Stamford Bridge, when the Blues paid £32 million ($39 million) in summer 2016 to draw the midfielder away from Leicester.
Since then, the World Cup champion has tallied up 164 games in all Chelsea tournaments, scoring 11 goals and contributing to his remarkable trophy collection a second Premier League title, the FA Cup and Europa League.
Conte, who is now coaching Inter in Italy, was willing to name the 29-year-old for two years before being succeeded by Maurizio Sarri in the hot seat in west London.
The Italian claims the appearance of Kante made it seem like Chelsea had twelve players on the pitch, and he still played with a “great smile on his face.”
“In my opinion, he can play in any midfield role. We’re talking about a fantastic guy, a good player,” Conte told Sky Sports (via goal.com). “He’s great with and without the ball. You might imagine you’re playing with one guy more because you’ve got N’Golo in your side.”
